The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1887-03-01
upM0R
..cDoTE6 OF THE EARLY
.aRFER OF HIRAM POWERS.

MAKING, wax Figures for Museum III
Circinnati-A Comic Singer in Duph-
co+a..A Bust of Thomas Jefferson-A
Favorite Trick.
James H. Beard, the artist, tells some anec-
dotes Of the early career of hiram Powers
the sculptor, which go to show that ne was
full of grim hunor When fo"eTs "enU -
Cincinnati he was engaged in making wax
fy,res for n museum owned by a man named
Dorfe1d. The figures which he nodded were
delicate and beautiful beyond anything thaD
1yas known at that time. His ingenuity IN |
MECHANICS was remarkable, and MIR. Beard /
thinks that he would have made as great !"
e,1ccess in mechanic arts as he did III sculpture
if he had devoted his attention TO the IoillieI,
Tbereevvas popular comic singer III o"Gl9
dav at Cincinnati named Alexander Drake,
? Powers nodded wax head Of Drake anu
fashioned a figure to match the head
One of brakes songs, which was IN greaC
demand with audiences, was called hoHo
and Sausagesn Powers took his wax Hs ut0
to the theatre and placed it on the stage IA
brakes favorite attitude, and wnen the
curtain rose for brakes song there sLooo Oe-
foTo the audience two Alexander brakes,
10th DerfectIy natural. The people were
astonished. They gazed and gazed IN wonder-
ment until the curtain went down anu Iooo
again on a single Drake. 1t was the wax
fo,1re. but so like the singer that the audi
ence cried and shouted and stampeo IoI
glove and Sausages." The figure was sllehC'
and the curtain went down without any re-
snorea being made to their calls. 1t rose
AGAIN and there still was single Drake con-
fronting them This time the audience re-
manned administrative not knowing "hal
to expect. 1t was the true Drake, and When
he proceeded to sing "Love and SausageS
the mystery was intensified. For aDouU III Ct
e 4I,Tc ny1h
ander Drake, and then the secret got OUT Una
il was one Of Powers freaks.
THOMAS JEFFRsON's BUST.
Atanother time Powers was at work on
wax bust of Thomas Jefferson. Ihere was
critic in Cincinnati in those DAYS haIle'
Simms who had incurred the dlspleasuHe
Powers and Others He was told one evenn
that the bust was completed, and was aSke
TO inspect it. 1t in the days when ID
only light was from tallOw candles, and q
the room was dark he was given candl
with which to make a close Inspection OF I'll
b,1st He began to comment upon It's VI
natural appearance, declaring that the Col.
of the flesh was not natural and so on:
he leaned down for clOaer inspection the our
inc candle was brought close to the tlgur
which suddenly lodged back, wlnked It's ey
and shouted: "DOnt burn me- III W.
Powers himself. Simms was III a terr!o
race and when the story was told some I'LL
afterward in paper owned by a man NAM
Thomas, he was going to castlgate the edlto
Simms always denied the STORY OuU o"e
told it with great gusto
A favorite trick of the artist, which
often performed in the museum and in pub
nIaces, was made possible by the long cloa
which it was the custom to wear IN the
DAYS. Any one who has seen the figures In
circus which are short and squat one nome
and sDparentlv ten feet high the next W
,,1darstand the nature of the joke Powe
--ould gather his cloak up in his hands al
make himself apparently about three feet
height, and as he passed around the nuse 11
n, would gradually become taller and tai
until at last, taking the collar OF MS CLIO
nd the rim of his hat in his hands, he "ou
erova them far above his head and ma
mself appear very tall. All the time
9uld go peering around at the sights WI
r,,st of the people were watching him as
hi -gest curiosity of all.-New York Ir1ou